Kenya Faces Shortage of Timber Just as the Country’s Needs Increase

Kenya’s demand for wood and wood products is increasing faster than their outdated sawmills and lack of forestlands can produce. A logging ban, imposed in 2018 by the Kenyan government, which applies only to government owned land, which is mainly mahogany, cypress and eucalyptus, which was meant to help regenerate its forests has made the situation even more dire, albeit needed. The wood needed for anything from construction to household furniture has created a high priced and poor-quality market. It also has led to some of it coming from illegal logging sites in nearby countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kenya now imports a large amount of its lumber needs from China and Brazil and other neighboring countries which amounted to $83.7 in 2018 according to UN data.